Ubisoft Lays Off 185 Employees Amid Restructuring Efforts
Amid recently announced efforts to restructure the major game publishing company, Ubisoft has laid off 185 employees, including shutting down one studio.
Today, Ubisoft, the publisher of the Assassin’s Creed series and last year’s Star Wars: Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, announced one studio closure along with employee layoffs in its recent restructuring efforts. Ubisoft Leamington, formerly known as FreeStyleGames, known for the DJ Hero series, is unfortunately the studio closed in this announcement. Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm, and Ubisoft Reflections will also see layoffs, reaching a total of 185 people losing their jobs.
Ubisoft lays off 185 employees and closes one studio as part of a restructuring effort
Ubisoft said in a statement to VideoGamesChronicle; “As part of our growing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings…” at the studios listed above, including the closure of Ubisoft Leamington. Ubisoft went on to say, regarding the 185 laid-off employees; “We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition.” This all comes after months of an unstable future for Ubisoft.
Earlier this month, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot held an conference call with management where he explained that Ubisoft will be taking decisive steps to reshape itself, become more efficient, and maximize value. Essentially, doing what they can to look more appealing to investors or buyers. There has also been talk about investor Tencent getting more involved, possibly even creating a new venture with some of Ubisoft’s most valuable assets.
Last year was difficult for Ubisoft for one major reason: it’s major games were not as successful as they hoped. Skull and Bones, a game originally announced at E3 2017 and ultimately delayed again and again until 2024, launched with underwhelming sales and critical reception. Live-service, free-to-play first-person shooter XDefiant had a promising start, but as of December, Ubisoft announced that the game would permanently shut down this June. Combine that with games like Star Wars: Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora underperforming as well, and it’s been quite the year of stumbles for Ubisoft.
There is one final hope, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. The game has been delayed twice, originally planned to release in November 2024, but now scheduled for March 2025. Recent previews have not been glowing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the game will not sell well. It will just be a question of if it can do enough to shift the current trajectory of Ubisoft.
No matter what, the executives and investors at Ubisoft will be fine. Maybe a year from now Ubisoft will be owned by another company, maybe Tencent, maybe something else entirely. Ultimately, I hope that the employees effected by this “restructuring,” and those who will surely be affected by further restructuring, are able to find more stable work in the industry.
